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Biesenbach House

San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

A German immigrant, August Biesenbach (1848-1915) and his wife, Louisa (1852-1916), began construction of this house in 1880. The walls of the house are stucco over brick with a hipped roof and Gothic Revival details. From 1910 to 1955, the house was owned and occupied by members of the Guenther Mill family. In 1955, O'Neil Ford, the famed director of the La Villita restoration project, purchased the house which served as offices for his architecture firm for the next 26 years, during which time he designed the Tower of the Americas in HemisFair Park and numerous buildings for Trinity University. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2016

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

German immigrant August Biesenbach and his wife Louisa began this stucco-over-brick house with Gothic Revival touches in 1880. For decades it passed through owners tied to the Guenther milling family, then in 1955 became the office of architect O'Neil Ford, restorer of La Villita. From here Ford's firm designed San Antonio's Tower of the Americas and buildings for Trinity University over the next quarter century.

Why it matters

It links San Antonio's German immigrant roots to one of Texas's most influential modern architects, whose work shaped the city's twentieth-century skyline.

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Related people

  • · August Biesenbach
  • · O'Neil Ford

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